Golf practice device



Aug. 13,1935. I M. e. ROSENGARTEN ,0

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed June 2, 1954 .3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I- 7 WITNESSES.- Y [NVE-NTQR:

Aug; 13, 1935. v M. G. ROSENGARTEN 2,011,014

' GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed June 2, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG TZ l N VEN TOR:

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GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed June 2, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet s Zi ffiiiiiiiiiiiii WITNBSSES: IINVENITOR:

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Patented Aug. 13, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 7 com rnno'rlon DEVICE Mitchell G. Rosengarten, Philadelphia, Pa. Application June 2,1934, Serial No. 728,635

9 Claims, (01. 273++35 Tins invention relates to golfpractice devices, and is specially -adaptable-andadvantageous for indoor practice of shots, without danger of injury to walls, furniture, or people. For this purpose, preferably, a. missile of innocu'ous character (as compared with the ordinary golf ball) is used in conjunction with a special device for stop ping and registering the shots, like a target. For supporting or teeing up the missile, a special l device is preferably employed, adapted to assist in directing its flight. Any {golf clubs such as used in the regular outdoorgolf may be used in Various other features and advantagesof the invention will appearfrom the description of one species or form of embodiment hereinafter, and from" the drawings. All features hereinafter shownior described are, indeed, of my invention, so far as novel over theprior art.

In the drawings, Fig.1 is a general perspective or-tilted view of one form of apparatus suitable for the purposes of the invention. (including a standard golf club) arranged ready for a shot.

- Fig. II is a fragmentary plan view of a base socket such as shown in Fig. I.

Fig. III shows a vertical section through the target of Fig, I, taken as indicated by the line and arrows III-'--III in Fig. I, on a larger scale than Fig. I and with portions of the target -sup l porting standardsbroken out.

Fig. IV is aside view of the missile and the tee-clip therefor shown in FigsI, on a larger scale;- Fig. V is aside view or the missile alone,- similar to the view thereof afforded by Fig. IV.

Fig. vI-is an edge View of the missile and tee clip, showing how the missile is held or resiliently gripped by the clip; i Y

Fig. VII is a perspective oi-tilted view of the tee-clip byitself.

Fig. VIII is a perspective view showinglhow' the target of I may conveniently be hung n a wall or from any upright surface.

Fig. IX is a view like Fig, VIIIshowing a diffem out way of hanging the target. i

In Fig. I, a missile in is shown "teed. up on a supportingdevice D, which is sightedor directed to properly aim the missile II) at thestopping and: registering device or target '1'. l A golf club CJS' shown in] position behind the missile I 0, as if held 9 by a playerabout to swing the club back over his shoulder for a shot. The target Tis'shown in a suitable relation to the device D, and one missile I 0:: is shown lodged in it by a previous shot. slits it made by other missiles, that have beenremove'd,

clip tobe forced in'and held just'as tightly as each Besides affording a sumcient depth of socket at to make it long enough to allow or itssocket slit The form or missile in which I at present prefer is a round, flat disc, here shown (Figs. I, IV and V)- as very similar to that disclosed in my applica-- tion Serial No. 648,527, filed December 23, 1932, now U. S. Patent No. 1,980,701. This golf-balk '5 disc 10 may-consist of a circular disc of relatively stifi cardboard, say about 0.025 in. thick. It is shown without any edge notch such as described in my said application, but with a tee-index mark I l adjacent its periphery (Figs. IV and V) and is 19 printed and colored in imitation of an actual golf-ball having apitted surface. But this last is quite unessential.

Such a substantially circular disc ID will cor-re spond fairly well to a real golf ball in behavior,

and in flight, when it is properly struck; but the, bad effects of improper strokes will generally be exaggerated by it: e. g.,fa pulled stroke will cause it to deflect sidewise to an exaggerated degree. The deformation of the disc edge by the golf club 20 is also significant: i. e., a perfect shot will simply crush the disc edge to a degree depending on the force of the stroke, while a topping shot will. produce a notch with one clean-cut edge, etc. The relation of the deformed areato the teeindex mark N indicates where andhow the disc was struck relative to the tee.

The supporting device I) for teeingth'e disc It) as shown in Fig. I includes a base 12 and a tee clip.13. The base l2'may' consist of a strip of 30 material (e. g., wood, orrubber) socketed at M to receive and hold the clip l3, which, inturn, holds'the disc In. The socket I4 is shown as a keyhole slot, consisting of a round hole l5 drilled through the base strip 12 and a narrow slit ls the hole It: may be V=tapered as at I! in Fig. II,

and the other end of the slit IGlnay be made somewhat too narrow for the thickness of the clip 13: this not only facilitates entering the clip IS in the slit from the hole l5,'but allows the piayer'may desire.

M, it is desirable that the base l2 be heavy enough tofistay put" on the 11062 when roperly laced;

without requinogto be rastened down. I prefer as T ' as best shown in Figs. IV and VI.

Figs. VI and VII, the jaws and the whole clip is It being aimed accurately and quickly in the desired direction of flight of the disc H); which practically requires the socket slit to extend truly lengthwise of the base. A strip of plank 30 in. x 6 in. by in. (or less) in thickness answers very well for the base i 2.

The tee-clip i3 is shown in Figs. I, IV, VI and VII as a flat strip whose lower end or butt is adapted for insertion in the socket it as already described, and whose upper end has resiliently separable jaws or leaves 48, i9 adapted to receive and yieldingly hold the disc i6 between them, As shown in are alike of laminated construction, consisting throughout of superposed strips i8, iapreferably of quite stiff, springy cardboard, which may be of about the same character and thickness as the disc iii. These strips 13, is are preferably secured together at least at their lower or butt ends and where indicated by the dotted line 22 in Figs. IV and VII: 1. e., they are free to flex apart only from the line 28 upward; For simplicity in manufacture, they may be cemented or glued together from their lower ends all the way up to the line 22; The strips i3, it may be entirely separate, as shown in Fig. VI; or they may consist of a single long strip doubled fiat at the butt end of the clip i3, as indicated in Fig, VII, and suitably secured together at 29, etc. As shown in Figs. IV, VI and VII, the strip l9 projects from under (beyond the end of) the strip S8, to facilitate inserting a'disc it between the strips as in Figs. IV and VI, as presently to be explained.

In teeing up, the player takes a clip E3 in the left hand, with a strip 58 up, and takes a disc H! in the right hand." Placing the edge of the disc IE1 at its tee-index ii on the projecting end of strip it, he presses downward, 'so as to flex strip 59 away'fro'm strip i8, and then pushes inward so as to insert the disc margin between strips l8 and i9, with index mark ii'about on the centerline of these strips, as shown in Fig. IV. Shifting the grip of his right-hand to include the upper ends'of strips i8 and 59 between his thumb and his fore-finger, as well as'the corresponding portion of disc it, he bends over or stoops down and inserts the butt of clip 53 in hole 15 and then shifts it sidewise into slit l6, as shown in Fig. I. Thus the disc IE3 is held securely and definitely in the plane of slit 66, at the desired height above base i2, but so. loosely that it leaves the clip !3 easily when struck with the club' C. Ordinarily, the clip is .will not be destroyed by a stroke, and may be used over again several times. This is especially sowhen hole E5 of socket E lis toward target T, as in Fig. I.

I prefer that the portion of strip 19 exposed under and beyond strip i8 be of a distinctive color, to facilitate placing a disc id in the clip as above described: e. g, the outer exposed sides of strips l8ji9 may be red, and their adjacent sides white. The target device T shown in Fig. I comprises as its principal parts a face or target and registering sheet 22, and a backing or missile-stopping sheet 23. They are mounted upright in superposition, and may ordinarily lie flat against one another. V

The facing 22may ,be of any material penetrable by the missile l9 when driven against it with,

a force within the range of variation of ordinaryv playing strokes, such for example as ordinary blotting paper. However, many other (and less expensive) materialsor grades of paper may be used, including even-newsprint.v The facing 22 is here shown as having reference or target marks in the form of concentric circles, whose included areas or intervals and whose surrounding field may in practice be distinctively marked 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or otherwise suitably distingushed and ranked, as by diiferent colors.

The backing 23 is made practically impenetrable by the missiles Hi, and preferably dead rather than hard or highlyspringy; so that missiles penetrating the facing 22 shall not rebound from the backing and fall away, but remain lodged in the facing, as shown at H81: in Fig. I. As shown in Fig. III, such missile discs Ida: push the facing 22 and backing 23 apart, at least locally, and hold them apart (until removed), remaining stuck in the slits which they make and protruding about half the disc diameter through the facing 22. The backing 23 may be of any suitably flexible and yielding material, such as a textile fabric. A cotton fabric of loose texture like cheese-cloth, but woven of rather coarse yarn, answers the purpose very well. It should be stretched or kept under sufiicient tension to make it somewhat yieldingly resistant when struck, without rendering it very springy.

If preferred, of course, circles or other reference or targetmarkings may be on the backing 23, instead of on the facing 22, and the facing 22 may be made sufiiciently transparent or translucent for them to show through it, as well as penetrable by the missiles it].

As shown, the backing 23 is in effect a curtain hung from a top rod 24 extending through a wide top hem 25, and tension is applied to it by weighting its lower edge. For the size of curtain 23 hereinafter indicated, a brass bottom rod 26 of A; in.

diameter extending throughout a bottom hem 21 afiords suitable weighting. I The facing sheet 22 is also shown hung from the top rod 24, by means of a couple of hooked clips 28 with spring-closed pivotedjaws 2Q gripping the upper margin of said sheet 22. The facing 22 may hang free, with just sufiicient tension to keep it fiat: in the case of blotting paper, its own weight will afford sufficient loading for this purpose. For a blotter 22 of ordinary size such as 24 in. by 19 in., a curtain 23 that is 30 in. long from top rod 24. to bottom rod 26 and 21 in. wide along these rods will be found satisfactory. v

In practice, such a target 'I' may be placed some five feet, more or less, from the teed disc I E] at D for the strokes.

As shown in Figs. I and III, the target and backing sheets 22, 23 are hung from the top rod 24 between upright standards 38, 3t fixed in a common (plank) base 3|. For this purpose, the upper ends of the standards 3t, 39 have eyes 32, 32 in which the rod 24 rests loosely. Longitudinal shifting of rod 2 3 and accidental disengagement thereof from eyes 32, 32 may both be prevented by knobs 33, 33 screwed on its ends, and one or both removable. To allow of adjusting the height of the target T (according to the character of the club C used and the proper rise of the shots 'to be made), the standards 30, 30 may be adjustable inlength. For this purpose, they are each composed of telescoping sections 34, 35, the former solid and having the eyes 32, 32, and the latter hollow and snugly but removably socketed in close-fitting holes in blocks 36, 3E fixed on the plank base .3I. By making the upper solid sections or rods 34 amply long and bending them slightly near their lower ends, as at 31, 31, they .may be made ,to slide easily enough, but not freely, in the lower tubular sections 35,35, so as which they may be adjusted. As a finish and an additional means of maintaining the adjustment,

bored rubber stopdiscs or washers 38, 38 tightly 1 upper ends of the tubes 35, 35.

H player who places a shot in the 2 area will presumably make a hole in two, etc.

nently attached. The cord may have an eyelet Modes of use of the apparatus will be obvious from the foregoing description, but may be briefly indicated as follows:

The missiles I0 played from D stick fast in the facing 22 when stopped by backing 23, so that the accuracy of shots may be observed. Competing playersmay use missiles IO of different colors, so that their general performances can be compared at the end of an agreed number of shots each. Numerical values may,-of course, be assigned to hits in the areas 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, according to their nearness to the center or bulls-eye 2, and scores may be based on them; or, preferably, the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, B may be used directly in scoring, the low score winning as in real golf. In this way, due weight is given to the presumption that each good shot in .a game will resultin a low total score on the hole on which it is made: e. g., a

' As shown in Fig. VIII, the target device T of Figs; I and III is hung from a wall, door, or other upright surface W by means of a (flexible) cord or cable 45 secured to the top rod 24 near its ends, and engaged at its own middle with a hook 4| projecting from the wall. The hook 4| may conveniently be removably amxed to the wall W by means of an ordinary rubber sucker cup 42 to which the shank of the hook may be penna- 43 secured to its middle for engaging the hook 4 I. Centrally apertured circular discs 44, 44, of stiff fibre cardboard, or the like, may be fitted tight on the ends of the rod 24 (outside the points of attachment of the cord 40), to space the device T away from the wall far enough to keep the missiles ID from drivingthe backing 23 against the will with appreciable force. 7

Fig. IX shows the target device T of Figs. I and III supported from a wall or other upright surface W without any cord, by means of a pair of hooks but subject to many variations without departure from the spirit of the invention. 4

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for golf practice comprising in combination a missile in the form of a disc adapted to be driven edgewise with a golf club, and a target comprising a sheet penetrable by said disc and a backing therefor yielding relative to said sheet bu impenetrable to said disc.

2. Apparatus for golf practice comprising in combination a missile in the form of a disc adapted to be driven edgewise with a golf club, and a target cOmprising a sheet penetrable by said disc and aseparate flexible yieldingly stretched backing sheet impenetrableto said disc.

3. Apparatus for golf practice comprising in combination a missile in the form of a disc adapted to be driven edgewise with a golf club, and a paper sheet penetrable by said disc and a separate textile backing sheet hung against it.

4. Apparatus for golf practice with adapted to be driven with a golf club, said apparatus comprising a sheet penetrable by the missile sheet by the missile.

a missile 5. Apparatus for golf practice with a missile adapted to be driven with a golf club, said apparatus comprising a sheet penetrable by the missile and a flexible backing limiting penetration of said sheet by the missile, one of said sheets being marked with target rings numbered from the centeroutward, and visible from in front of the sheets I 6. Apparatus for golf p'ractice'with a missile adapted to be driven with a golf club, said apparatus comprising flexible target and backing sheets suspended 'together but yieldingly separable by flexure, the former penetrable by the missile and the latter impenetrable thereby.

'7. Apparatus for golf practice with a missile adapted to be drivenwith a golf club, said apparatus comprising separate flexible target and backing sheets, of paper and cloth respectively,

I 8. Apparatus for golf practice with a missile adapted to be driven with a golf club, said apparatus comprising a supporting bar, a flexible textile curtain suspended from said bar under yielding tension, and a flexible paper target sheet separately and removably hung from said bar in front of said curtain, and free to separate from the curtain when penetrated by a missile.

9. Apparatus for golf practice with a missile adaptedto be driven with a golf club, said apparatus comprising a supporting bar, a flexible textile curtain hung from said bar and having its bottom weighted, a flexible paper target sheet in front of said curtain, and hooks attached to the upper edge of said target sheet and hooked over said bar, so that the curtain and target sheet are free to separate when the latter is penetrated by a missile.

MITCHELL G. ROSENGARTEN. 

